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Author: David Bodapati
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Gautam Shanthappa and Arindam Ghosh locked in a tight battle for fmsci president post
Chennai, 22 September 2024: President of the Karnataka Motor Sports Club (KMSC) Gautam Shanthappa, who is also the current vice-president of the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (fmsci), has filed his nomination for the post of President of the fmsci in the elections to be held during the Annual General Body Meeting to be held at Hotel Trident, here on Wednesday, the 25th of September.
Arindam Ghosh of Ramakrishna Race Performance Management Private Limited, (RRPM) Kolkata, is the only other nomination filed for the post of fmsci President which falls vacant after the incumbent Akbar Ebrahim finishes his tenure. Ghosh headed RRPM which was the INRC promoter for three years from 2013. After the last date for nominations, two nominations were received for the post of President and Vice-President.
Coimbatore’s J. Balamurugan of Spitfire Motorsports Private Limited, filed his nomination as the vice-presidential candidate while Farooq Ahmed, also filed his nomination for the post of VP against Balamurugan. Ahmed is a multiple times National champion co-driver and is also part of Motor Sports Club of Chikmagalur, which used to conduct the Coffee Day Rally. Apart from these two crucial posts, 13 nominations were filed for the post of councillors.
Arindam Ghosh’s nomination was proposed by Saurav Chatterjee, Kolkata Automotive Sports Association, Tamal Ghosh of Just Sportz Management, Kolkata, seconded it. Akbar Ebrahim, Meco Motorsports, proposed the name of B.S. Gautham while C. Rajaram of Spit Fire Motorsports seconded it. Farooq Ahmed’s name was proposed for the post of vice-president by former fmsci president J. Prithiviraj and seconded by Arindam Ghosh. J. Balamurugan’s name name was proposed as vice-president by Gautam of KMSC and seocnded by Akbar Ebrahim, Meco Motorsports.
The Electoral College consists of 17 members including the five permanent members of the Federation. The 17 clubs will have their representatives to vote on behalf of them and each will have one vote, provided the club owes no dues. They are:
1. Calcutta Motorsports Club, Kolkata: Vir Raina;
2. Coimbatore Auto Sports Club, Coimbatore: J. Prithiviraj;
3. Indian Automotive Racing Club, Mumbai: Farokh Commissariat;
4. Karnataka Motor Sports Club, Bengaluru: B. S. Gautam;
5. Madras Motor Sports Club, Chennai: Bharat Vicky Chandhok;
6. Bengal Motor Sports Club, Kolkata: Pratim Chowdhury;
7. Indian Motor Sports Marshals Club, Chennai: Manoj Dalal;
8. Just Sports Management Private Limited, Kolkata: Suchandan Das;
9. Kolkata Automotive Sports Association, Kolkata: Surav Chatterjee;
10. Meco Motor Sports Private Limited, Chennai: Akbar Ebrahim;
11. Motor Sports Club of Chikmagalur, Chikkamagaluru: Khazi Farooq Ahmed;
12. Northern Motorsports, Noida: Raj Kapoor;
13. Performance Cars Racing Trust, New Delhi (formerly represented by Hardy): Proxy -To Be Announced;
14. Ramakrishna Race Performance Management, Kolkata: Arindam Ghosh;
15. Spitfire Motor Sports Private Limited, Coimbatore: C. Rajaram;
16. Malwa Motor Sports Club, Indore: Dr. Afzal Bunglowala;
17. Motor Sports Association of Eastern India, Kolkata: Saurav Chatterjee*
Note: Saurav Chatterjee name is given for two clubs; It is not clear if it is an error or he would represent two clubs.
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Bagnaia reels in Martin after tense Misano Sprint
The title fight twists again as the Italian defeats Martin and Bastianini to set up a Sunday showdown for the ages.
Misano, 21 Sept. 2024: Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) had a statement Saturday at the Gran Premio Pramac dell’Emilia-Romagna, stalking Championship leader Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing), pouncing on a mistake and then withstanding his own pressure to the flag to cut the gap to just four points at the top of the table.
Martin did keep that pressure on, however, coming home second, as Enea Bastianini (Ducati Lenovo Team) chased the two home – and prepares to try and do more than that on Sunday.
Martin made a dream take off at the start of the Sprint, with the #89 launching his attack on the run to Turn 1. He then pulled the pin at the beginning, pushing hard on the opening laps and as Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) leapfrogged the reigning World Champion too, pushing Bagnaia down to third.
Binder was then elbowed down to fourth at Turn 8 as Bagnaia and then Bastianini shot through, and next it was Marc Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) making moves. On the comeback from his P7 starting position after a crash in qualifying, Marquez got past the South African early on, and soon so did Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GASGAS Tech3).
All eyes then returned to the front as Bagnaia reeled in the Championship leader, closing the gap to under half a second. They started to pull away from Bastianini too, creating a duel for glory and with plenty more on the line than 12 points.
By Lap 8, Bagnaia was glued to the Pramac ahead, having reeled him in, lost a few metres, saved a front end moment and then gathered it back up. And Martin then suffered his own small drama, heading wide and that leaving the door far enough ajar to allow Bagnaia through. The hammer then went down from the #1.
Initially, the gap shot up and it looked more likely Bastianini would catch Martin, but in the final few laps the #89 was locked in to try and take it to the line. From sixth tenths up the road to Bagnaia on the penultimate lap, Martin edged closer and closer until the lap count ran out, forced to cede defeat by less than three tenths. Bagnaia strikes back after a tougher run, cutting his deficit in the title fight to just four points – so if it’s a duel on Sunday, the winner decides the Championship lead.
Bastianini remained close too and will be one to watch on Sunday when he has Grand Prix distance to go at, so far enjoying a 100% podium record at Misano in the premier class. The last time he started a GP race from the front row, he won it.
Behind that trio, Marc Marquez couldn’t make too much progress from fourth and was also hampered by a mistake at Turn 13 – the #93 soon had Acosta glued to his tailpipes. Less than one second separated the pair throughout as the #93 attempted to stretch a gap, and the rookie denied him. By the flag however, the veteran pulled away to ensure those valuable few extra points for P4. Acosta, nevertheless, came home top KTM/GASGAS in fifth, with Binder looking to hit back on Sunday as he was forced to settle for P6.
Further back, there was an intense battle for the final point-scoring positions in the Sprint, with Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™ Team) putting in another sublime weekend at Misano so far, taking back to back Q2s and more Sprint points this time out. He held off Marco Bezzecchi (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) and Prima Pramac Racing’s Franco Morbidelli, who completed the Saturday scorers and will both be looking for some revenge on Sunday.
That’s true of plenty just behind them too, with Aprilia especially looking to move forward in the Grand Prix race. It will likely be a historic one too, with Ducati able to wrap up the Constructors’ crown if they have 222 points or more in hand… it’s Bagnaia’s 100th MotoGP™ start… and Ducati head in with 99 premier class wins.
25 points, a gap of just four, and some tempting milestones await on Sunday. Who’s coming out on top on take two? Find out at the slightly earlier time of 13:00 local time (UTC +2)!
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Mika Hakkinen opens Madras International Karting Arena, aka MIKA
Chennai, 19 Sept. 2024: Double Formula One World Champion Mika Hakkinen flagged off Indian motorsports on a new and exciting journey when he inaugurated the state-of-the-art Madras International Karting Arena (M.I.K.A.), here on Thursday at a gala and landmark ceremony that was attended by India’s two former F1 drivers, Narain Karthikeyan and Karun Chandhok.
Hakkinen, on a whistle-stop visit to Chennai enroute to Singapore for the F1 Grand Prix, was received on his arrival at the airport by Madras Motor Sports Club vice-president Vicky Chandhok and was brought to the MIC for the launch ceremony that the traditional lighting of the lamp and unveiling a commemorative tablet which will be on display at the MIKA circuit.
At an emotionally charged function after Hakkinen, the F1 champion in 1998 and 1999, and popularly known as the “Flying Finn”, posed for a group photograph with young karting drivers, he provided an insight into the mind and making of a World Champion. “I like MIKA because it is my name too!” he declared but added on a serious note: “You must learn to lose and enjoy the win, and to control your emotions. As you move up the racing ladder, it is a whole different World out there. There is a lot of pressure from family, friends and teams. So, you must be able to deal with the pressure. But everything is up here,” he said, pointing to his temple.
On prompted by Karun Chandhok during a one-on-one interview, Hakkinen spoke at length about his Formula One career, especially his inability to win a single race for six years after debut before tasting success by winning two back-to-back World Championship titles. He also touched upon his rivalry with seven times World Champion Michael Schumacher. “You learn a lot watching Michael though, at times, he can be a bit naughty,” said Hakkinen.
Later, Hakkinen, along with Narain Karthikeyan and Karun Chandhok, performed demonstration laps on the MIKA track in specially prepared electric karts after the traditional lighting of lamp and a ribbon-cutting ceremony. A bunch of 34 drivers, in their own karts, did a processional run watched by a huge crowd of MMSC members, invitees and Media.
Later, at an impromptu Media interaction, Hakkien was all praise for the MIKA track which he said can spawn a generation of talented drivers in India. “Karting is a good way to start your racing career, and this MIKA track offers a wonderful platform for kids to make a beginning. I hope they enjoy their karting stint,” he said.
Hakkinen singled out Kush Maini as possibly the next Indian to make it to Formula One. “Kush Maini is good. He is doing well in F2. I feel he has it in him to go all the way to F1,” he opined.
Narain Karthikeyan, India’s first F1 driver, too heaped praise on the MIKA circuit, describing it as challenging, but a driver’s delight. “The kids have to first learn the track which is fun to drive on, but challenging too with its layout,” he said.
MMSC president Ajit Thomas, also present at the Media interaction, said: “We have big plans to conduct major international events at MIKA circuit. That is one of the reasons why we undertook the project besides contributing our mite to promoting the sport at grassroot level.”
Conceived and developed by the Madras Motor Sports Club, the 1.2-km long MIKA circuit, designed by UK-based Driven International in active consultation with Karun Chandhok, is the first of its kind in India, and located in the premises of the iconic Madras International Circuit, in Sriperumbudur, about 40 Kms from Chennai.
Incidentally, the foundation stone for the Madras International Circuit was laid by three times F1 World Champion Jackie Stewart, also known as the “Flying Scot”.
Built to exacting global standards, complete with floodlights, sophisticated control room and a holding area with charging facilities for electric go-karts, the MIKA will be open to the public for leisure activity and competitions. The facility is still a work in progress as there are major plans to make it attractive for family outings and corporate activities.
Hakkinen said in a statement: “This is my first visit to Chennai, and it’s been my pleasure to open the MIKA circuit today along with India’s only two F1 drivers, Narain and Karun.
“Karting is such an important first step for any driver today as they begin their journey towards Formula 1. The investment made by the Madras Motor Sports Club into this facility will be a big step towards preparing the future racing drivers from India.
“The layout of the circuit is really interesting for the drivers with a good mix of corners. It will be challenging and fun for the drivers and combined with the latest CIK (the World governing body for Karting) safety standards, it really is comparable with the top Karting tracks in the World.”
MMSC secretary Prabha Shanker delivered the vote of thanks at the conclusion of the ceremony that the Titan Edge and GMT partnered the Madras Motor Sports Club.
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Sarthak Chavan takes a creditable third at Sepang
Sepang (Malaysia) 15 Sept. 2024: Ace Indian rider Sarthak Chavan took a creditable third place in Race 2 of Round 5 of the Idemitsu FIM Asia Road Racing Championship at Petronas Sepang International Circuit, Malaysia, which saw history created with Rocco Sessler became the first German to pick up a race win in the single-make championship.
The race began with veteran rider Vorapong Malahuan rocketing into the lead, closely trailed by Mohd Ramdan Rosli and Chiranth Viswanath of India. Deep within the group, championship leader Hiroki Ono’s hopes of another successful round was dashed when he tumbled at Turn 3, effectively putting paid to his dreams of another podium.
After swapping leads for six laps, the flag came down in Rocco’s favour. The German rider clocked his first ever TVS Asia victory with 14’31:021s, 0:090s ahead of Vorapong. Sarthak rounded up the winning trifecta in third place.
Rocco said, “For sure, it was a difficult race. The start wasn’t the best, but I pushed hard into the first corner and managed to get into the top 5. From there, I focused on staying in the front. I had some challenging moments but managed to regain my position. In the last lap, I took the lead because I thought there might be some battling behind me. Although I was overtaken in the final lap, I rode as well as I could, held my line, and ultimately took the win.”
Despite finishing tenth, Hiroki Ono picked up 6 points to stay at the top of the championship table with 201 points, 57 points ahead of Ramdan.
TOP 5 FASTEST – RACE 2
1. Rocco Sessler – German (14’31:021s)
2. VorapongMalahuan – Thailand (14’31:111s)
3. Sarthak Chavan – India (14’31:224s)
4. Md Muzakkir Mohamed – Malaysia (14’31:267s)
5. DeckyTiarno Aldy – Indonesia (14’35:389s)
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Ruhaan Alva, Veer Sheth, Alibhai win a race each: Indian F4
Chennai, 15 Sept. 2024: Jaden Pariat ‘won’ on the track, but was stripped away and demoted to P8 in Race 3, as the final day of Round 3 of the Formula 4 Indian Championship, produced three different winners in three races held on Sunday.
The premier F4 championship was held along with the Indian Racing League and the JK Tyre National Racing Championship at the Madras International Circuit, Irungattukottai, near here.
Ruhaan Alva of Shrach Rarh Bengal Tigers, Veer Sheth of Ahmedabad Apex Racers, who moved up from P2 to P1 after Bangalore Speedsters’ racer winner Jaden Pariat was docked a 20-second penalty, and South African Aqil Alibhai (Black Birds Hyderabad), all won a race each in the three F4 races today. Jaden won the Indian F4 Race 1 on Saturday.
From left – Isaac Demellweek, Aqil Alibhai, Ruhaan’s team principal, Ruhaan Alva and Jaden Pariat at MIC on Sunday. Photo by IRL In the day’s first race, Alva was in a league of his once he moved to the front in the very first lap and was simply unstoppable. As the race progressed, Australian teenager Isaac Demellweek (Chennai Turbo Riders), Alibhai, Pariat and pole-sitter Aiva Anagnostiadis (Goa Aces JA Racing), the 2021 Australian female karting champion, settled into a formation behind Alva until the Safety Car came into play in the 15th minute which bunched up the grid. On resumption with close to two minutes and one lap left, Alibhai and Pariat jumped to P2 and P3 behind Alva who continued serenely to victory while also being credited with the fastest lap of the race.
IRL cars lined up at MIC on Sunday. Photos IRL In the next race, it was Pariat all the way after surviving a contact with Alibhai while trying to regain his track position. The incident pushed Alibhai to P16 but he finished P4 eventually. Pariat was docked a post-race 20-second penalty “for causing avoidable collision” and it dropped him to eighth in the final standings. Consequently, Veer Sheth, Ruhaan Alva and Abhay Mohan (Bangalore Speedsters) all moved up a spot to finish first, second and third, respectively.
In the final race, Alibhai built a winning lead after moving from P3 to P1 before Turn-1 in the very first lap and enjoyed a trouble-free run to spare nearly 19 seconds to second-placed Divy Nandan (Ahmedabad Apex Racers) and Ruhaan Alva who did well to hold off an aggressive Pariat in the latter half of the race.
IRL
Mohammed Ryan converted a pole position start to a maiden win while delivering a double for Chennai Turbo Riders the Indian Racing League races. The 22-year-old Ryan’s win came on the back of team-mate Jon Lancaster’s success in IRL Race-1 yesterday.
Mohd Rayan takes a win from pole in the IRL race on Sunday at MIC. Photos supplied by IRL The 2019 Rotax Karting champion Ryan, racing on home circuit, had a brilliant start and put in consistent fast laps for his first win in the IRL which triggered celebrations in the Chennai Turbo Riders.
While Ryan disappeared into the distance at the start, Sohil Shah (Goa Aces JA Racing) moved aggressively past Jaden Pariat (Bangalore Speedsters) going into Turn-1. Pariat then dropped one more spot when team-mate Rishon Rajeev got a jump on him later in the opening lap. The top three then maintained their track positions without much ado, while behind them others scrapped for points.
An elated Ryan said: “I had a good start and kept my focus to put some consistent laps. I am happy that my team, Chennai Turbo Riders won both the IRL races this weekend and picked up some big points.”
The Indian Racing League and Indian F4 Championship, to be held over five rounds, is sponsored by Kingfisher Soda, JK Tyres, Mobil 1 and Megha Engineering & Infrastructure Limited.
JK Tyre-fmsci Indian National Championship
Bengaluru’s Tijil Rao led a podium sweep for Dark Don Racing team as he came up with a brilliant drive starting from P5 for his third win in six starts this season.
Finishing behind him were team-mates Viswas Vijayaraj from Nellore and Coimbatore’s Bala Prasath. Despite losing the front nose cone of his car, Bala Prasath gave a fine exhibition of defensive driving to hold off rookie and Bengaluru teenager Dhruv Goswami (MSPORT) over the last three of the 10-lap race.
Goswami, in fact, started from P12 on the grid and aided by some daring overtakes, all but managed to secure a podium spot in the overall standings, though he topped the Rookie category, way ahead of Monith Kumaran (Ahura Racing) and Abhinav Reddy (Avalanche Racing).
The weekend results put Tijil Rao on top of the overall leaderboard while Goswami also moved up the championship standings in the Rookie category.
The Round 4 of the Indian Racing Festival will be held on October 19-20 at the Kari Motor Speedway, Coimbatore.
The results (Provisional):
Veer Seth, was promoted as the winner of Indian F4 Championship Race 3 at MIC on Sunday. Indian Racing League: Race-2 (B Driver) (25 minutes + 1 Lap):1. Mohammed Ryan (India, Chennai Turbo Riders) (26mins, 57.602secs);2. Sohil Shah (India, Goa Aces JA Racing) (26:59.183);3. Rishon Rajeev (India, Bangalore Speedsters) (27:14.841).
Formula 4 Indian (25mins + 1 Lap):
Race-2:1. Ruhaan Alva (India, Shrachi Rarh Bengal Tigers) (28:16.720); 2. Aqil Alibhai (South Africa, Black Birds Hyderabad) (28:17.475); 3. Jaden Pariat (India, Bangalore Speedsters) (28:18.697).
Race-3: 1.Veer Sheth (India, Ahmedabad Apex Racers) (27:41.457); 2. Ruhaan Alva (India, ShrachiRarh Bengal Tigers) (27:41.622); 3. Abhay Mohan (India, Bangalore Speedsters) (27:43.916).
Race-4: 1. Aqil Alibhai (South Africa, Black Birds Hyderabad) (27:31.329); 2. Divy Nandan (India, Ahmedabad Apex Racers) (27:50.567); 3. Ruhaan Alva (India, ShrachiRarh Bengal Tigers) (27:51.089).
JK Tyre-FMSCI Indian National Racing Championship:
Formula LGB 4: Race-3 (10 Laps):1. Tijil Rao (Bengaluru, Dark Don Racing) (19:42.876); 2. Viswas Vijayaraj (Nellore, Dark Don Racing) (19:44.762); 3. Bala Prasath (Coimbatore, Dark Don Racing) (19:52.697).
Rookie: 1. Dhruvh Goswami (Bengaluru, MSport) (19:52.770); 2. Monith Kumaran (Chennai, Ahura Racing) (19:59.569); 3. K Abhinav Reddy (Hyderabad, Avalanche Racing) (20:05.030).
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Jaden Pariat takes brilliant win in Indian F4; Abhay Mohan takes creditable 3rd
Chennai, 14 Sept. 2024: Teenager from Shillong Jaden Pariat took a brilliant victory, his second in the championship while team-mate 16-year-old Abhay Mohan from Bengaluru, in his first full single-seater season, come third behind South African Aqil Alibhai (Black Birds Hyderabad) to provide their team, Bangalore Speedsters, a creditable double podium on Day One of the third round of the Indian F4 Championship at the Madras International Circuit, here on Saturday.
The Indian Racing League promoted by Racing Promotions private limited, was also held along with the JK Tyre National Racing Championship 2024.
Off to a clean start from pole position, 17-year-old Pariat, winner here in Round 1, and National champion in the MRF F2000 class, never looked back for a lights-to-flag win. Behind him, Alibhai settled into P2 from Lap 1 to the finish, not having the pace to trouble Pariat who also put in the fastest lap of the race, a blistering one minute, 40.459 seconds.
Jaden Pariat celebrates after winning the F4 Indian race at MIC on Saturday. IRL photo Down the grid, battles raged up for track positions. Abhay Mohan, winner of the National title in the MRF F1600 category earlier this summer, started from P5 but immediately gained a spot when Veer Sheth (Ahmedabad Apex Racers) stalled on the grid and dropped to last. Abhay, the Class 12 NIOS student, then put fellow-Bengalurean Ruhaan Alva (ShrachiRarh Bengal Tigers) under pressure before passing for P3, a position he comfortably held to the finish. Alva eventually came in fifth.
Down the road, Gurugram’s Divy Nandan (Ahmedabad Apex Racers) put in an impressive show to climb from P16 to eventual P7 finish.
Ruhaan Alva impressive, but loses top spot in the last lap
With a fastest lap timing and leading the race until few corners from the finish, ShrachiRarh Bengal Tiger’s Ruhaan Alva slipped to third position with a gearbox issue and home favourite Chennai Turbo Rider’s Jon Lancaster, made the best of the opportunity to finish on the top step of the podium
The 35-year-old Lancasterfrom UK and representing Chennai Turbo Riders in this franchise-based Indian Racing League championship, was running about four seconds behind Alva in the last lap of the race (A Drirver), but lady luck smiled on him when disaster struck Alva a few corners from the finish, allowing him to take the win ahead of Czech Republic’s Gabriela Jilkova (Goa Aces JA Racing). Alva, who had started from pole position and built a winning lead, managed to limp home in thirdplace in a race that was his to lose.
With a win in sight and less than a lap left for the finish, the 18-year-old Ruhaan came across a car that had spun across the track. He slowed down and passed the stricken car only to meet with disaster as the engine spluttered and the gear got stuck in third. It allowed Lancaster and Jilkovato pass him.
At the start, Alva made a good getawaywhile his team-mate, Malaysian Allister Yoong dropped two spots from P2 as Lancaster and Jilkova slipped past in the very first lap. Their positions remained unchanged until the last lap when Alva blew away a certain victory.
Gabriela Jillkova, takes a deserving second place, racing on equal footing with men in the IRL at MIC on Saturday. An IRL image “You got to take the opportunities,” was how Lancaster commented after the win. “It was
The Indian Racing Festival, to be held over five rounds, is sponsored by Kingfisher Soda, JK Tyres, Mobil 1 and Megha Engineering & Infrastructure Limited.
JK Tyre-Fmsci Indian National Racing Championship 2024
Coimbatore’s Bala Prasath led a 1-2 finish for Dark Don after starting P3 on the 24-car grid in Race-1 of Formula LGB, that was twice interrupted by Safety Car due to on-track incidents. Following him home was Tijil Rao from Bengaluru ahead of Ahura Racing’s Chetan Surineni, also from Bengaluru. It was the second win of the season for Bala Prasath.
Likewise, Abhay Mohan, who showed impressive pace for his second win, and Dhruvh Goswami, both from Bengaluru, delivered a 1-2 result for MSport while Hyderabad’s Abhinav Reddy (Avalanche Racing) completed the podium in the Rookie class.
At the start of the race, pole-sitter Viswas Vijayaraj (Dark Don Racing) led the pack for a couple of laps before the Safety Car was deployed. On resumption, Vijayaraj slid to third behind Bala Prasath who put in some quick laps to gain the lead ahead of Tijil Rao who had led briefly. The order remained unchanged for a couple of laps until Surineni made a move on Vijayaraj to take P3 before the second Safety Car period. The race ended behind the Safety Car with Bala Prasath taking a win from Tijil Rao and Surineni.
Later, in Race-2 that was red-flagged twice and reduced to five laps, Chetan Surineni took the honours, holding off Bala Prasath and Viswas Vijayaraj. In the Rookie class, Bengaluru’s Dhruvh Goswami finished first ahead of Abhinav Reddy and Pune’s Neythan McPherson (Momentum Motorsport).
The results (Provisional):
Indian Racing League:
Race-1 (Driver A, 25mins + 1 Lap):1. Jon Lancaster (UK, Chennai Turbo Riders) (27mins, 11.213secs);2. Gabriela Jilkova (Czech Republic, Goa Aces JA Racing) (27:12.428);3. Ruhaan Alva (India, ShrachiRarh Bengal Tigers) (27:14.554).
Formula 4 Indian – Race-1 (25mins + 1 Lap):1. Jaden Pariat (India, Bangalore Speedsters) (26:57.528);2. Aqil Alibhai (South Africa, Black Birds, Hyderabad) (27:02.059);3. Abhay Mohan (India, Bangalore Speedsters) (27:20.546).
JK Tyre-FMSCI Indian National Racing Championship:
Formula LGB 4 (Race-1, 8 laps):1. Bala Prasath (Coimbatore, Dark Don Racing) (17:58.987); 2. Tijil Rao (Bengaluru, Dark Don Racing) (17:59.833); 3. Chetan Surineni (Bengaluru, Ahura Racing) (18:00.288).
Rookie: Abhay Mohan (Bengaluru, MSport) (18:01.848);2. Dhruvh Goswami (Bengaluru, MSport) (18:02.402); 3. K Abhinav Reddy (Hyderabad, Avalanche Racing) (18:06.581).
Race-2 (5 laps):1. Chetan Surineni (Bengaluru, Ahura Racing) (09:58.945); 2. Bala Prasath (Coimbatore, Dark Don Racing) (09:58.967); 3. Viswas Vijayaraj (Nellore, Dark Don Racing) (10:00.099).
Rookie: 1. Dhruvh Goswami (Bengaluru, MSport) (10:06.569); 2. Abhinav Reddy (Hyderabad, Avalanche Racing) (10:14.306); 3, Neythan McPherson (Pune, Momentum Motorsport) (10:14.529).
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IRL returns to MIC; Barter skips Round 3 which begins on Saturday
Chennai, 13 Sept. 2024: The Indian Racing League 2024 and the Formula 4 Indian Championship returns to the Madras International Circuit for the third round to be run on September 14 and 15.
Promoted by Racing Promotions Private Limited (RPPL) the IRL contested by six teams with the Shirachi Rarh Bengal Tigers being the most consistent, leading the points table with one win and three podium finishes.
The two-day event which was initially scheduled to be run at Coimbatore was shifted to Chennai due to concerns about safety barriers and will also see the JK Tyre-FMSCI National Racing Championships including the Formula LGB 4 races. The first round of IRL and Indian F4 was held at MIC followed by the historic night races on the Chennai Formula Racing Circuit, a street circuit in the heart of Chennai.
The four IRL races over two rounds, saw outright wins by four different teams, Chennai Turbo Riders, Shirachi Rarh Bengal Tigers, Goa Aces JA Racing and Speed Demons Delhi.
Each team has four drivers, including one female racer, who share two Aprilia-powered World Thunder GB08s that are capable of top speeds of 240 Kmh.
Leading Indian racers in the IRL include Akhil Rabindra and Ruhaan Alva besides Jaden Rahaman Pariat, Sai Sanjay and Sandep Kumar, who all have won National titles. Youngsters like Divy Nandan and Rishon Rajeev are also doing well in the Indian F4 championships. There is also representation from Australia, Spain, Czech Republic, Denmark, Portugal, South Africa and Germany, injecting international flavour.
The Indian Racing Festival, to be held over five rounds, is sponsored by Kingfisher Soda, JK Tyres, Mobil 1 and Megha Engineering & Infrastructure Limited. All these races will be live on Start Sports and Fancode. Fans can buy tickets from Paytm Insider.
Formula 4 Indian Championship
A notable absentee in Round 3 of the Formula 4 Indian category is Japanese born, Australian youngster Hugh Barter who dominated the two rounds. That should open the field considerably with the likes of Bengaluru teenager Ruhaan Alva (Schirach Rarh Bengal Tigers) and South African Aqil Alibhai (Hyderabad Black Birds) being the top contenders.
JK Tyre-FMSCI National Racing Championship
The popular Formula LGB 4 category, which has always attracted a big grid, will be no different in Round 3 with 26 drivers in the fray. Leading the pack in the championship standings is Bengaluru’s Tijil Rao followed by his Dark Don team-mate Diljith TS from Thrissur. Tijil, known for his daring drives, has two wins to Diljith’s one. Their team-mate Bala Prasath took the honors in the very first race to herald Dark Don team’s domination.
JK Tyre-FMSCI Indian National Racing Championship
Round 2 of the 29th JK Tyre-FMSCI Indian National Racing Championship happened at the Chennai Formula Racing Circuit, thus becoming the first domestic motor racing competition to run a night street circuit race. Earlier, the JK races were also held at the inaugural street race in Hyderabad along with IRL
Spread over two races, with 24 competitors competing in the Formula LGB4 Class, the event witnessed Dark Don Racing continue their brilliant start to the season, courtesy of Diljith TS’s victory in Race 1. Diljith retained a podium finish in Race 2, finishing P2 behind second-time winner Tijil Rao, who, with 31 points, leads the Drivers’ Standings after two rounds. Meanwhile, Dark Don Racing extended their lead at the top of the Teams’ Standings to 65 points, nearly twice as much as their closest challenger MSport.
Furthermore, Neythan McPherson’s twin P1s in the LGB4 Rookie segment saw him tie Abhay M at the summit of the leaderboard, both drivers accumulating 34 points until now.
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Abdul Basim clinches National title; Double for Pune teenager Sarthak Chavan
Chennai, 8 Sept. 2024: Abdul Basim (Rockers Racing), the 17-year-old from Chennai, virtually sealed the championship in the Novice (Stock 165cc) category by notching his seventh win in eight races to take an unassailable 57-point lead going into the fifth and final round next month.
Meanwhile, Pune teenager Sarthak Chavan of TVS Racing team capped a brilliant weekend by winning four of the five races he took part in as the fourth and penultimate round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship 2024 – Powered by STORM concluded at the Madras International Circuit, here on Sunday.
Sarthak, who will turn 18 next month, completed a grand double in the Pro-Stock 301-400cc Open category besides winning Race-2 of the Pro-Stock 165cc Open and the TVS Electric RTE race. To top it, he received Indian Oil special awards for posting the fastest laps on Saturday and Sunday.
TVS Racing team-mates Sarthak Chavan (centre, winner), second-placed KY Ahamed (left) and third-placed Jagan Kumar after the Pro-Stock 165cc Open race (Sept 8) Photos by Anand Philar In the Girls (Stock 165cc) class, Ryhana Bee (Rockers Racing) extended her domination by recording a double as she comfortably took Race-2 following up on her win yesterday to take a slender lead in the championship standings.
Chennai’s Kaushik Subbiah Ganesan (RACR Castrol Power1 Ultimate) roared to his fourth win to consolidate his leadership position in the Stock 301-400cc (Novice) class.
Three different leaders over six laps best describes the proceedings in the Pro-Stock 301-400cc race before Sarthak made a decisive move in the last lap to achieve a double, having won Race-1 yesterday. Finishing in P2 was arch-rival and TVS Racing team-mate Chiranth Vishwanath from Bengaluru followed by Chennai’s Alwin Sundar (KTM Gusto Racing India).
In the other headline race of the day, the Pro-Stock 165cc Open, witnessed a thrilling contest between TVS Racing mates, Sarthak and KY Ahamed. The two exchanged leads through the race until Sarthak stepped up the pace for a fine win. Another veteran and multiple National champion Jagan Kumar took the third spot.
Kaushik Subbiah Ganesan (25) en route to winning the Stock 301-400cc (Novice) race on 8 Sept 2024. Photos by Anand Philar Behind the front-runners, Chiranth Vishwanath, the other top contender, was penalized for an incident in Saturday’s race involving Sarthak and started from the pit lane. He made swift progress to jump to P3 before an engine issue on the last lap saw him hop off the bike and push it across the finish line for ninth spot.
Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup
Winning both the races this weekend, Mohsin Paramban, the 22-year-old from Malappuram, took an unbeatable lead in the NSF 250R category. In Race-2 today, Mohsin was in a league of his own and won comfortably ahead of Prakash Kamat (Bengaluru) and Kolhapur’s Siddesh Sawant. Thus, after four rounds and eight races, Mohsin, with five wins, has effectively sealed the championship in this category.
TVS India One-Make Championship
Chalking up his fifth win in eight starts, Senthilkumar C from Coimbatore maintained his slender championship lead in the Open (Apache RR 310) class after overcoming Manoj Yesuadian (Chennai) by three-tenths of a second in today’s Race-2. Another Coimbatore racer Raj Kumar C finished third.
Bengaluru’s Harshith V Bogar with a win in today’s Race-2 has one hand on the championship title, requiring just a handful of points in the concluding round next month to take the crown in the Rookie (Apache RTR 200) category. The 20-year-old Harshith survived a tight battle with Vijayawada’s Akarsh Jangam while Tejash BA from Tumakuru finished third.
Sarthak Chavan swept to his fourth consecutive win in the TVS Electric RTE race to further underline his domination.
The results (Provisional, all 6 laps unless mentioned):
National Championship:
Pro-Stock 301-400cc Open (Race-2): 1. Sarthak Chavan (Pune, TVS Racing) (11mins, 07.139secs); 2. Chiranth Vishwanath (Bengaluru, TVS Racing) (11:08.980); 3. Alwin Sundar A (Chennai, Gusto Racing India) (11:10.406).
Pro-Stock 165cc Open (Race-2): 1. Sarthak Chavan (11:33.380); 2. KY Ahamed (Chennai, TVS Racing) (11:33.655); 3. Jagan Kumar (Chennai, TVS Racing) (11:42.248).
Novice (Stock 165cc, Race-2): 1. Abdul Basim (Chennai, Rockers Racing) (12:55.319); 2. Tasmai Cariappa (Mysuru, Motul Sparks Racing) (12:55.563); 3. Lal Nunsanga (Mizoram, Motul Sparks Racing) (13:06.387).
Girls (Stock 165cc, Race-2, 5 laps): 1. Ryhana Bee (Chennai, Rockers Racing) (10:55.879); 2. Rakshita Dave (Chennai, RACR Castrol Power1 Ultimate (11:05.008); 3. Jagathishree Kumaresan (Chennai, One Racing) (11:05.156).
Stock 301-400cc (Novice, Race-2): 1. Kaushik Subbiah Ganesan (Chennai, RACR Castrol Power1 Ultimate) (12:16.248); 2. Pradeep C (Bengaluru, pvt) (12:17.309); 3. Raj Kumar (Coimbatore, RDX Torque Racing) (12:17.469).
Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup (NSF 250R, Race-2, 8 laps): 1. Mohsin Paramban (Malappuram) (15:06.939); 2. Prakash Kamat (Bengaluru) (15:08.635); 3. Siddesh Sawant (Kolhapur) (15:11.172).
TVS India One-Make Championship:
Open (Apache RR 310, Race-2): 1. Senthilkumar C (Coimbatore) (11:43.600); 2. Manoj Yesuadian (Chennai) (11:43.988); 3. Raj Kumar C (Coimbatore) (11:49.742).
Rookie (Apache RTR 200, Race-2): 1. Harshith V Bogar (Bengaluru) (13:20.484); 2. Akarsh Jangam (Vijayawada) (13:20.600); 3. Tejash BA (Tumakuru) (13:30.522)
Electric RTE (4 laps): 1. Sarthak Chavan (Pune) (07:20.468); 2. Chiranth Vishwanath (Bengaluru) (07:24.199); 3. Alwin Sundar (Chennai) (07:26.215).
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Rivaan Dev Preetham clinches a double after a nail-biting fight: Karting Nationals
Bengaluru, 8 Sept. 2024: Chennai’s 11-year-old Class 6 student Rivaan Dev Preetham of MSport won both the races in a nail-biting contest in the Micro Max class while another Chennai lad Eshanth Vengatesan, too, bagged a double in the Junior Max class in the fourth round of the Meco Fmsci National Rotax Max Karting Championship 2024 at Meco Kartopia track here on Sunday.
In a close contest, Rivaan, the Lady Andal House of Children student, pulled off a fine victory in the Pre-Final beating Hamza Balasinorwala of Mumbai overtaking him in the final lap to regain the lead for a hard-fought win. Vadodara’s Yug Jain from Peregrine Racing came in third. In the Final, Rivaan, once again won a close race after he exchanged the lead twice in the final lap with Hamza, who had to be content with a second place. Yug Jain finished third once again.
In the Junior Max class, Eshanth Vengatesan from Peregrine Racing won both the Final and the Pre-Final beating Pune’s Arafath Sheikh of Crest Motorsport. Sheikh gave a tough fight in the Pre-Final but ended up second again in the Final race. Gurugram’s Aarav Dewan of Leapfrog Racing finished third in both the races.
In the Senior Max Pre-Final, former champion Rohaan Madesh (Peregrine Racing) of Bengaluru took a convincing win beating Huuner Singh of Birel Art India, and Varun Hari Praveen, also from Peregrine came third. But, Varun Hari Praveen of Chennai turned the tables in the Final for a comfortable victory ahead of another multiple champion Ruhaan Alva of MSport, and Madesh finished third.
The results (Provisional):
Senior Max – Final (16 laps):
1. Varun Hari Praveen (Chennai, Peregrine Racing) (15:11.207);
2. Ruhaan Alva (Bengaluru, MSport) (15:14.077);
3. Rohaan Madesh (Bengaluru, Peregrine Racing) (15:16.317).
Pre-final (5 laps): 1. Rohaan Madesh (04:53.038); 2. Hunner Singh (Gurugram, Birel Art India) (04:54.067); 3. Varun Hari Praveen (04:54.838).
Junior Max – Final (14 laps):
1. Eshanth Vengatesan (Chennai, MSport) (14:01.468);
2. Arafath Sheikh (Pune, Crest Motorsport) (14:03.229);
3. Aarav Dewan (Gurugram, Leapfrog Racing) (14:05.584).
Pre-final (12 laps): 1. Eshanth Vengatesan (11:13.275); 2. Arafath Sheikh (11:13.371); 3. Aarav Dewan (Gurugram, Leapfrog Racing) (11:14.202).
Micro Max – Final (12 laps):
1. Rivaan Dev Preetham (Chennai, MSport) (12:40.762);
2. Hamza Balasinorwala (Mumbai, Rayo Racing) (12:40.836);
3. Yug Jain (Vadodara, Peregrine Racing) (12:41.217).
Pre-final (10 laps): 1. Rivaan Dev Preetham (10:17.041); 2. Hamza Balasinorwala (10:17.246); 3. Yug Jain (10:23.919).
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Stunning stage win for Harith Noah at TransAnatolia Rally
Mersin (Turkey), 3 Sept. 2024: Ace Dakar rider, Harith Noah of Sherco TVS Factory Team, dished out high-class performance to become the first rider representing India to win a stage overall on Monday in the gruelling 2500-km TransAnatolia Rally that is being run across Turkey from Mersin to Van.
The Kerala rider, who won the B1 Class at the TransAnatolia Rally last September, before going on to win the Dakar 2024 in Rally 2, began the 2024 edition of this rally on a sombre note, but bounced back to win Stage 2 after a challenging 177.36 km on Monday. He topped the field of 65 riders taking part in the 14th edition being held from August 31 to September 7.
“The bike is perfect as we have done a lot of improvements and we also have a new suspension. It is really good and I am starting to feel better every day,” Harith Noah told INDIAinF1 from Turkey.
Noah, started well in Stage 1 and was running second overall before he crashed and the bike went off a cliff and he lost three precious hours as his bike could not be retrieved. He managed to finish the stage. However, his resilience stood out as he navigated the tricky terrain with aplomb, astride his Sherco 450 RTR, showcasing his high driving skills and led a star field to come out triumphant on Stage 2 ahead of his teammate Lorenzo Santolino. He clocked 3 hours, 02minutes and 19 seconds to complete the tough 177.36-km stage.
TransAnatolia has become one of the leading rally raid events and the Stages here offer high standards that help riders get into the rhythm for bigger events like Dakar as a preparation. A satellite tracking system is in service, for monitoring the racing process and for safety.
